Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques

Chapter 178.1: Number one the Dao Foundation Candidate List: Lu Changsheng of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect! (I)

Lei Tiandu was dead. The number one true inheritor of the prestigious Yellow Heavenly Sect, ranked ninth on the Dao Foundation Candidate List, a man who possessed a hundred-li Mind Space and already had one foot in the Dao Foundation Realm, had just been slain by Lu Changsheng. Everything had happened so fast that no one had managed to react.

Celestial Dragon Mountain fell silent. No one dared to make a sound. But then, terrifying auras that could only come from Dao Foundation experts erupted across the mountain.

Woosh!

The three Dao Foundation experts descended onto the battle grounds. Huang Jiufeng had arrived with two other Dao Foundation Elders from the Yellow Heavenly Sect, and the pressure radiating from them surged into the heavens like a tidal wave. Every martial artist and Immortal Master on the mountain felt their hearts tremble under that overwhelming force.

Huang Jiufeng glared at Zhong Yu. "Zhong Yu, you interfered without authorization and killed a true inheritor of the Yellow Heavenly Sect. The Yellow Heavenly Sect shall not overlook this!"

An intense murderous aura then surged from Huang Jiufeng as he locked on to Lu Changsheng. "Lu Changsheng, die!"

His roar rolled through the air like thunder, and his Mind Space materialized at once as he launched his attack.

When Lei Tiandu fell by Lu Changsheng's hands, Huang Jiufeng was stunned, but that shock quickly turned into excitement when he realized he could use this opportunity to kill Lu Changsheng.

Even with Zhong Yu present, Huang Jiufeng had no intention of backing down. This time, two Dao Foundation experts from the Yellow Heavenly Sect had accompanied him. And since Zhong Yu had interfered in the duel between Lu Changsheng and Lei Tiandu, Huang Jiufeng no longer had any reservations.

"Huang Jiufeng, who do you think you are?" Zhong Yu stepped forward and used his Mind Space to shatter Huang Jiufeng's attack in an instant.

Although both men stood in the Dao Foundation Realm, there was an enormous difference in both their strength and status. Zhong Yu was the Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect, a man who wielded immense authority. Even among Dao Foundation experts, he stood near the very peak. Huang Jiufeng, by comparison, was merely an ordinary Dao Foundation Elder.

Still, Huang Jiufeng did not back down. He turned to the elderly man at his side, expression dark. "Great Elder, you saw it yourself. Zhong Yu, a Dao Foundation expert, personally intervened in a sanctioned duel and killed a true inheritor of our sect. The Ancient Region Heavenly Sect has gone too far. If we do not answer this, how can we hold our heads up in the Ancient Region?"

The Great Elder looked at Zhong Yu and said softly, "Zhong Yu, you have crossed the line."

Zhong Yu's expression tightened. The Great Elder of the Yellow Heavenly Sect was no ordinary man. Among Dao Foundation experts, he was considered a supreme figure. As such, even Zhong Yu himself had to tread carefully with him.

"Great Elder, you witnessed the battle yourself," Zhong Yu replied calmly. "I never attacked Lei Tiandu. I merely sealed off the surrounding area with my Mind Space and created an arena for the duel. Does that count as a violation of the rules?"

The Great Elder seemed unable to refute Zhong Yu's argument.

Indeed, Zhong Yu's Mind Space had never actually made contact with Lei Tiandu, nor had it suppressed him in any way. All Zhong Yu had done was seal off the surrounding area to prevent Lei Tiandu from escaping with a Teleportation Talisman. From beginning to end, Zhong Yu had never directly attacked Lei Tiandu.

In the end, Lei Tiandu had lost to Lu Changsheng simply because he was weaker, and in duels of this caliber, death was a common risk.

"What a ridiculous argument! Great Elder, don't let him twist this!" Huang Jiufeng protested hotly. "Lei Tiandu would have escaped if Zhong Yu hadn't interfered. His death was caused entirely by Zhong Yu, and to pretend otherwise is—"

"Enough!" The Great Elder bellowed, instantly silencing Huang Jiufeng. The Great Elder's expression was cold and furious, but his anger was clearly not directed at Zhong Yu alone.

"Huang Jiufeng, as an Elder, you encouraged a true inheritor to engage in this duel and ultimately caused his death. You bear responsibility for this matter as well, and I will investigate this matter thoroughly. We shall take our leave now."

He swept a cold gaze over Zhong Yu, then let it rest briefly on Lu Changsheng. Only then did he turn and depart with Huang Jiufeng and the other elder.

After the three men from the Yellow Heavenly Sect vanished from sight, Lu Changsheng looked up at Zhong Yu and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Hall Master!"

Lu Changsheng understood that he would not have been able to kill Lei Tiandu without Zhong Yu's intervention.

Indeed, Zhong Yu had taken a considerable risk by stepping in. He had exploited a loophole in the rules, and although the Great Elder was clearly displeased, he could not do anything to Zhong Yu without proper cause. After all, he represented the Yellow Heavenly Sect, while Zhong Yu was the Enforcement Hall Master of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect. And without an absolutely justifiable reason, attacking Zhong Yu would carry extremely serious consequences.

Zhong Yu waved his hand indifferently. "If you cut the weeds without removing the roots, they'll grow back sooner or later. Since you accepted Lei Tiandu's challenge, then the moment an opportunity appeared, you had to kill him completely and eliminate all future trouble. You handled that very well!"

The more Zhong Yu looked at Lu Changsheng, the more his admiration grew. In his eyes, Lu Changsheng possessed both exceptional talent and remarkable potential. He had successfully capitalized on the opportunity to kill Lei Tiandu, and he was clearly destined to step into the Dao Foundation Realm in the future. Had Lu Changsheng not advanced so rapidly, Zhong Yu might truly have considered taking him in as his personal disciple.

Lu Changsheng hesitated briefly before speaking again. "But Huang Jiufeng..."

"What? You want to kill Huang Jiufeng too?" Zhong Yu chuckled. "Well, I don't think that would be a smart thing to do, not at your current level.

"The Dao Foundation Realm is completely different from the Divine Treasury Realm. Back when you were at the Divine Fortification Realm, you could still challenge Divine Treasury martial artists. But for Divine Treasury martial artists to defeat Dao Foundation experts, that's almost impossible. Mind Space materialization in the Dao Foundation Realm is a fundamental transformation, and it creates a gap in power Divine Treasury martial artists simply cannot close.

"That being said, Huang Jiufeng is not a very powerful Dao Foundation martial artist. Once you forge your own Dao Foundation in the future, finding a reason to kill him won't be difficult. As for now, you don't need to worry about him. After what's happened today, Huang Jiufeng will have enough troubles of his own. He likely won't be leaving the Yellow Heavenly Sect for a very long time."

Lu Changsheng let out a slow breath. Zhong Yu was nothing like the rigid elders he had known. When killing was called for, he killed without hesitation, even in the face of the Yellow Heavenly Sect.

"However, you've attracted far too much attention recently," Zhong Yu went on. "Once you return to the sect, keep a low profile for a while and seclude yourself in cultivation. The Dao Foundation Candidate List will be updated soon. Expand your Mind Space to ninety li as quickly as possible and secure your place on the list."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "Understood, Hall Master."

Even without Zhong Yu's reminder, Lu Changsheng knew that lately, he had been in the spotlight far too often. Now that he had personally killed Lei Tiandu, the number one true inheritor of the Yellow Heavenly Sect, the entire Ancient Region would undoubtedly be even more shaken. In the jianghu, fame attracted enemies and hidden dangers, so the more attention he drew, the more cautious he needed to be.

"You're a fast learner, Lu Changsheng." Zhong Yu gave a single approving nod, then turned to leave. As he left, something close to warmth moved behind his eyes. He was certain that it would not be long before the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect gained another Dao Foundation expert, perhaps even one capable of standing at the very peak of the Dao Foundation Realm.

With Zhong Yu gone, Lu Changsheng looked down at the patch of ground where Lei Tiandu had died. A few items had survived the destruction and remained scattered on the ground. With a sweep of his hand, he collected them all before quickly leaving Celestial Dragon Mountain as well.

Celestial Dragon Mountain did not grow quiet after Zhong Yu and Lu Changsheng's departures. On the contrary, the atmosphere became even more heated. Countless people were still immersed in the shock of the battle, and many had yet to fully process what they had just witnessed.

"I can't believe Lei Tiandu is actually dead!"

"It makes no sense... Lu Changsheng only recently stepped into the Divine Treasury Realm, yet he actually killed Lei Tiandu, the undisputed number one true inheritor of the Yellow Heavenly Sect."

"At this point, Lu Changsheng is practically the number one true inheritor of the Ancient Region Heavenly Sect."

"He didn't even have a ninety-li Mind Space, and he still killed a man who already had one foot in the Dao Foundation Realm. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would've believed it."

"But you know, it's such a pity that Lei Tiandu is dead. He was basically guaranteed to forge his Dao Foundation. Why did he go and challenge Lu Changsheng? What was he thinking?"

"The Yellow Heavenly Sect suffered a heavy loss this time. With Lei Tiandu dead, they've effectively lost a future Dao Foundation expert."

"Remember the name Lu Changsheng. If you ever run into him in the second layer of the Ancient Region, you turn around and you walk the other way. Don't provoke a man who has eleven fused Domains."

"The Dao Foundation Candidate List is about to be updated soon. But Lu Changsheng's Mind Space still hasn't reached ninety li, so is he even qualified to make the list?"

"Well, since his Mind Space hasn't expanded to ninety-li, he's technically not eligible. But he just killed Lei Tiandu, so if they leave him off the list, what credibility does the list even have?"

"And if they do put him on it, how would he rank? Would he simply take Lei Tiandu's old position? Or enter the top three directly? Maybe even number one?"

For quite some time, the martial artists on Tianlong Mountain kept discussing Lu Changsheng's future ranking on the Dao Foundation Candidate List. As for Lei Tiandu, however gifted he had been in life, he was dead now, and the dead stop mattering quickly. In death, talent and glory hardly ever endured.